Uche Usim, Abuja
Former Governor of Gombe State, Dr Ibrahim Dankwambo, has advocated deepening of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy as it remains a strong means of strengthening Nigeria’s financial and treasury reforms.
He said the policy needs to cascade down to the state and local governments to ensure total control and management of the government’s finances at all levels.
He gave the advice at the public presentation/ launching of a book on Treasury Single Account written by Mr Salawu Zubairu, Director of Finance and Accounts, Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and former Director, Fund Allocation, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
Dankwambo, a former AGF, tasked treasury officials and finance staff in government establishments to come up with similar reforms in the overall interest of the country.
The former governor recalled the wide protest and opposition that greeted the TSA policy when the idea was first mooted in 2000, expressing joy that the programme has become a reality today.
He said: “At the formative stage of TSA, we had to be accompanied by police because of the threat of implementation of the financial report. Things were bad, but things were taken as given because there was no documentation to show how they all intended to do what they had to do.
“I hope other reforms, similar reforms will be documented in this way. Going forward, for me that has also experienced the other side of the country as a politician, reforms can come and reforms can go. But like the last recommendation that was said by Prof, these reforms must be made into law so that we politicians who come and go will not just come and take all these reforms for granted and waste them.
“I must tell you today if I want to win an election, say for the president, and say no more TSA, won’t I get your vote? But am I doing the right thing? But for me as a politician, I want to win. Anyhow, I win, no problem,” he said.
In his remarks at the event, the Chairman of the occasion, Mr Kayode Naiyeju described the book on TSA as a landmark achievement and enjoined other treasury officers to write books on areas of finance, treasury.
Also speaking on the occasion, the AGF, Idris Ahmed said the book, no doubt, will add value and deepen understanding of TSA policy by Nigerians.
The occasion had in attendance, top officials of government officials, politicians and private sector players.